Britain's Eurovision hopefuls Joe and Jake will be joined in the competition by blue-bearded rock stars from Cyprus and an Armenian singer in a transparent leotard.

Acts from Azerbaijan, Russia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, the Czech Republic and Malta will also compete in the Eurovision Song Contest finals on Saturday after triumphing at the semi-finals in Stockholm.

Booted out of the running in the first of two semi-finals were contenders from countries including Iceland, San Marino and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Viewers on Twitter were quick to point out that San Marino's hopeful Serhat bore a striking resemblance to George Galloway, while the Bosnia & Herzegovina contenders appeared to be wrapped in the silver blankets handed to marathon runners.

Joe and Jake's place in the final is assured because they are from one of the "big five" - the countries that founded the competition.

They will appear in the second semi-final on Thursday, with a pre-recorded rendition of their song You're Not Alone.

Some 36 countries will vie for 20 places over the two semi-finals, to join the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as host nation Sweden, for the big show.

Singer Justin Timberlake will add some global superstar power to the finale.

The Great British Bake Off's Mel Giedroyc and Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills co-hosted BBC Four's live coverage of the semi-finals, with Irish entry Nicky Byrne telling them how much he enjoyed the more outlandish performances.

He said: "There have to be some crazy ones. I liked the Czech Republic, Austria and Iceland. They were all very strong."

Graham Norton will take the helm for BBC One's live broadcast of the grand final on Saturday. He is expected to pay tribute to former host Sir Terry Wogan, who died earlier this year.

:: Semi-final 2 of the Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast on BBC Four on Thursday at 8pm.